Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Gu Ming stood there, watching the Audi A8L merge into the traffic and disappear around the street corner.

He withdrew his gaze and exhaled a puff of white mist.

My phone vibrated in my pocket; it was a message from Chen Mo.

"Boss, all the media and guests have arrived at the opening ceremony of the new headquarters."

Gu Ming looked up at the tallest building in downtown HG.

……

One week later, in HG City, in the core area of ​​the CBD, on the top floor of Twin Towers A.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the city. Outside, the sky is a hazy gray; inside, the new headquarters of Xingchen Holdings Group stands.

The decor and furniture here are very expensive.

Today marks the official opening of the new headquarters.

The press conference room was packed with reporters, cameras and video recorders in hand, flashes going off constantly. Their faces showed excitement and curiosity.

Not long ago, this company was suppressed by its industry competitors.

Now, it has acquired that competitor and become a major player in the industry.

"Next, please welcome Ms. Su Qingying, CEO of Xingchen Holdings Group, to the stage to deliver a speech!"

As the emcee began to speak, everyone's attention turned to the side of the stage.

Su Qingying wore a white business suit, her long hair pulled back, and a professional smile on her face. She walked onto the stage with steady steps.

She looks like an elite graduate from a business school.

"...Star Holdings' future will focus on the in-depth development and management of digital assets. We will use technology as the foundation and content as the carrier to build a brand-new, sustainable business ecosystem..."

Her speech was very professional, and her word choice was precise.

Gu Ming stood in the shadows backstage, watching Su Qingying under the spotlight.

He felt that she played the role of CEO very well. Calm, professional, and able to reassure all investors.

The emcee's voice rang out again:

"Thank you, Mr. Su, for your wonderful speech! Next, we will proceed with an important agenda item! Xingchen Holdings is honored to announce that the Shen Group will strategically invest RMB 1 billion in our company! Now, please welcome Ms. Shen Lian, the newly appointed Executive Director of Xingchen Holdings!"

The response at the scene was very enthusiastic.

One billion.

Shen's Group.

Su Qingying's appearance showcased her professional capabilities, while Shen Lian'an's appearance demonstrated the company's financial strength.

Shen Lian was wearing a fiery red dress today. With a hint of pride on her face, she walked to the front of the stage, picked up the microphone without looking at her speech notes, and said three sentences.

"I, Shen Lian, am optimistic about Star Holdings."

"One billion is just the beginning."

"In the future, anyone who dares to block our way, I will use money to smash them into the dustbin of history."

These words were very impactful.

The reporters below the stage kept pressing their shutters, hoping to make "The Chaebol Heiress's Fate for Love" the headline for the next day's front page.

Gu Ming looked at Su Qingying and Shen Lian on the stage and smiled.

One is a professional manager, and the other is a representative of the investors.

One is responsible for stable operation, and the other is responsible for rapid expansion.

This looks like a great combination.

The unveiling ceremony ended amidst a commotion, after which they held a meeting in the quiet top-floor conference room.

Only a few people were sitting around the long conference table.

Gu Ming, Su Qingying, Shen Lian, and several other directors who joined via remote video.

This is the first board meeting of Star Holdings.

Chapter 96: Choose her or the company?

The atmosphere in the meeting room was very serious.

"There is only one topic today."

Gu Ming sat in the main seat and tapped his fingers on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

He calmly announced a plan.

"I propose that the company's next strategic goal be to launch the 'Digital Human for All' initiative."

"What?"

In the video, a board member asks, "Mr. Gu, could you explain that in more detail?"

"It's very simple." Gu Ming leaned back in his chair. "Existing virtual idols are costly, risky, and difficult to replicate. I want to turn this technology into infrastructure."

"We will open a platform that allows every ordinary user to create their own digital avatar at a very low cost. They can use this avatar for social interaction, live streaming, and content creation."

"What we need to do is usher in an era where everyone can be a god."

The meeting room was quiet.

Everyone was stunned by Gu Ming's idea.

They felt the plan was very disruptive.

The first to react was Su Qingying.

From the perspective of an investment banking compliance officer, she pointed out the risks involved.

"Gu Ming, this is too risky." She frowned. "The initial investment for this plan will be huge. Server costs, bandwidth costs, R&D costs... the company's cash flow will be depleted very quickly. If the market feedback is bad, we will have no chance to save ourselves."

"I suggest a steady and pragmatic approach. We should start with enterprise clients, providing them with customized digital human solutions, such as virtual customer service representatives and virtual spokespeople. This will ensure cash flow and allow us to iterate our technology in practice while controlling risks."

Her analysis was calm and objective.

Shen Lian scoffed and interrupted her.

"Risk? Xiao Su, your perspective is still too narrow."

Shen Lian crossed her arms and slightly raised her chin.

"What great undertaking is without risk? If you're always looking before and after the fact, you'll accomplish nothing!"

"If you ask me, we should listen to Gu Ming! Not only should we do it, but we should do it immediately, on a large scale!"

"Not enough money? I'll ask my dad for more! If 1 billion isn't enough, then 10 billion! We'll launch a free public beta version for everyone and use subsidies to snatch up all the users! Once they get used to our platform, those big companies won't even have a chance to get in!"

"What do you call that? You call buying the entire racetrack with money!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room became very tense.

Su Qingying advocates for steady development and taking a step-by-step approach.

Shen Lian advocates rapid expansion and using a strategy of overwhelming force.

The two women, representing two different business logics, clashed at the company's first board meeting.

What they were arguing about was, on the surface, the company's strategic direction.

At a deeper level, it's a struggle for control of the company and for Gu Ming's approval.

Gu Ming listened quietly without saying a word.

He looked at Su Qingying's anxiety and Shen Lian'an's competitive spirit.

They are right.

But it was only partially correct.

He stood up and walked to the Samsung smart touchscreen at the front of the conference room.

All the arguing stopped.

"You two both spoke very well."

Gu Ming picked up the stylus and spoke in a calm but powerful voice.

"But you are all using past experiences to plan for the future."

He drew a circle in the center of the screen and wrote two words: User.

Then he drew another circle next to it and wrote: Enterprise.

"Lian, you said you wanted it to be free, subsidized, and to grab users. Yes. But this is 'data crowdfunding.'" He drew an arrow from the "users" circle, pointing to a newly created module called "AI Evolution."

"Every free user is providing raw materials for the evolution of our AI with their behavioral data. The larger the user base, the faster our AI evolves, and the more obvious our technological advantage becomes."

Shen Lian's eyes lit up.

"Su Qingying, you said you want to serve businesses and ensure cash flow. That's true. But this is 'standard co-construction'." He then drew an arrow from "businesses" pointing to the same "AI evolution" module.

"We provide cutting-edge technology to capable companies, enabling them to build their digital ecosystems on our platform. Once they become accustomed to our tools and standards, they will never be able to leave. We will become the infrastructure of this industry."

Su Qingying paused for a moment.

Finally, Gu Ming used a pen to draw two thick arrows on the "AI Evolution" module, pointing back to "Users" and "Enterprises" respectively.

"User data drives the evolution of AI, and the evolution of AI makes enterprise services more powerful. Enterprises pay for services, which gives them money, and with money, they can provide users with better free experiences and attract more users."

"Did you see that?"

He turned around and his gaze swept across the entire room.

"This is a self-accelerating ecological loop. What you're arguing about are just two nodes on this loop. What I want is the entire loop."

The meeting room was quiet.

All the directors, including Su Qingying and Shen Lian, stared blankly at the simple closed-loop diagram on the screen and at Gu Ming standing in front of it.

His idea exceeded their expectations.

Gu Ming did not choose either side, but defined the entire plan.

At that moment, he established his leadership position in the newly established company.

"This plan is settled."

Gu Ming put down his pen, sat back in the main seat, and spoke in a calm tone, but no one objected.

He paused, then looked at the girl who had been silent in the corner.

"Finally, an appointment will be announced."

"Chen Mo will serve as the Chief Security Officer of Starry Sky Holdings, reporting directly to me. She will have the highest authority, responsible for monitoring, protecting, and auditing the security of all the company's core algorithms and data."

This appointment once again put everyone on edge.

Algorithms are the company's core asset.

Gu Ming placed the person he trusted most in the position of protecting the core assets.

The core team of Starry Sky Company has now been established.

Chen Mo stood up, said nothing, but bowed slightly in Gu Ming's direction.

"Yes."

……

End of the meeting.

The directors left one after another, pondering the plan.

Gu Ming stood alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below, his expression calm.

He knew that Shen Guodong must also be paying attention to him.

He outwardly supports them, but secretly he's trying to keep them in check. He's already begun supporting new competitors to balance his own power.

However, he didn't care.

A scent of perfume wafted from behind me.

It's Su Qingying.

She took off her business suit jacket, leaving her in only a silk shirt, and walked over to Gu Ming, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Neither of them spoke; they simply gazed silently at the night outside the window.

A long time passed.

Su Qingying suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

"Shen Lian and the company, if you could only choose one, which would you choose?"